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House of Stuart
The House of Stuart,' '''formerly called 'Stewart, is the current reigning house of Great Britain and Ireland. They have been such since the successful installation of Mary, Queen of Scots on the English throne as opposed to the Protestant Tudor Elizabeth I. Mary had been supported by Catholics in England, and with the support of her French relatives, was able to seize the English throne by force. The deposed Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for the rest of her life. Despite opposition to their rule, especially to their religious policy of staunch Catholicism, the Stuarts have thus far been able to maintain their grasp on the English throne. The so-called de-Anglicanisation of the country has caused numerous episodes of religious tension and revolts. The British Isles being tied back to Rome was a major blow for protestantism in Europe, having dramatic repercussions on Christianity itself. The Stuart reign has mainly been characterised by its traditionalism and conservatism when compared to the reign of the House of Stuart. Stuart monarchs have attempted to reverse the acts of the now infamous Henry VIII, who converted England to being a protestant country. The destructions of Anglican churches and cathedrals during the reign of James II & VII, which would be replaced by Catholic churches, caused significant anger and tension. Outside of their religious efforts, the Stuarts have also been known to involve themselves in European affairs, particularly the Thirty Years' War and the ongoing Nine Years' War. Origin '''Etymology The name Stewart derives from the political position of office similar to a governor, known as a steward. It was originally adopted as the family surname by Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland, who was the third member of the family to hold the position. Prior to this, family names were not used, but instead they had patronyms defined through the father; for example the first two High Stewards were known as Fitz''Alan and FitzWalter respectively. The gallicised spelling was first borne by John Stewart of Darnley after his time in the French wars. During the 16th century, the French spelling ''Stuart was adopted by Mary, Queen of Scots, when she was living in France. She sanctioned the change to ensure the correct pronunciation of the Scots version of the name Stewart, because retaining the letter "w" would have made it difficult for French speakers, who followed the Germans in usually rendering "w" as /v/. Background The ancestral origins of the Stuart family are obscure - their probable ancestry is traced back to Alan FitzFlaad, a Breton who came over to Great Britain not long after the Norman conquest. Alan had been the hereditary steward of the Bishop of Dol in the Duchy of Brittany; Alan had a good relationship with Henry I of England who awarded him with lands in Shropshire. The FitzAlan family quickly established themselves as a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house, with some of its members serving as High Sheriff of Shropshire. It was the great-grandson of Alan named Walter FitzAlan who became the first hereditary High Steward of Scotland, while his brother William's family went on to become Earls of Arundel. When the civil war in the Kingdom of England, known as The Anarchy, broke out between legitimist claimant Matilda, Lady of the English and her cousin who had usurped her, King Stephen, Walter had sided with Matilda. Another supporter of Matilda was her uncle David I of Scotland from the House of Dunkeld. After Matilda was pushed out of England into the County of Anjou, essentially failing in her legitimist attempt for the throne, many of her supporters in England fled also. It was then that Walter followed David up to the Kingdom of Scotland, where he was granted lands in Renfrewshire and the title for life of Lord High Steward. The next monarch of Scotland, Malcolm IV, made the High Steward title a hereditary arrangement. While High Stewards, the family were based at Dundonald, South Ayrshire between the 12th and 13th centuries. History Reign in Scotland The House of Stewart came to the throne of Scotland through the claim of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, who was married to Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland. The son of Walter and Marjorie was the heir to the House of Bruce and all its holdings. Upon the death of the childless King David II in 1371, it was Robert Stewart (Walter and Marjorie's son) who succeeded him as King Robert II. While an armed protest by the Earl of Douglas delayed Robert's coronation, for reasons unknown. Robert's ascension also caused upheaval in Scottish society, antagonising many nobles who had received offices from David II. He used his power as King of Scots to increase the personal power of the Stewarts, and it was during this time that many of the Stewart cadet clans were founded. Robert did not have a completely stable reign, though. He struggled for years against lords who did fealty to England. Towards the end of his life, he lost his authority and the country was ruled by his sons. He died in captivity. The Stewarts continued to reign in Scotland for centuries. They became intertwined with the affairs of the English monarchy when, in 1503, James IV married Henry VII of England's daughter, Margaret Tudor. This was done to secure peace between Scotland and England, two countries which had been hostile to one another for generations. The birth of their son, the future James V, placed the Stewarts in the line of descent from the House of Tudor and therefore in the line of succession to the English throne. These claims would prove fortuitous in the generations to come, when the Tudor succession was to be placed in dispute. James V took ill after the Battle of Solway Moss, dying soon after. He was succeeded by his six day old daughter, Mary, who would be brought up in France. Mary was later married to Francis, Dauphin of France, the eldest son of Henri II of France and his formidable wife, Catherine de' Medici. Francis succeeded to the French throne in 1559 as Francis II, making Mary the Queen of France. It was during this time that she gallicanised the name of her house to S''tuart, by which it would become most commonly known. '''War for the English Throne (1560)' In 1560, Elizabeth I of England had become offended as Mary and Francis' displaying the English Coat of Arms on their arms, thus presenting Mary's claims. WIP Stuart Monarchs of Great Britain (1560 - Present) Category:House of Stuart Category:British Monarchs Category:Royal Family Category:Houses